I left home (Seoul, Korea) and came to Canada to study when I was 16 years old. This is the letter that my mom gave it to me in the morning of the day that I left home in 1995. It was an exciting yet quite difficult journey for a 16 years old girl, facing completely new life in Canada. I read this letter countless times throughout my journey and reminded myself of my mom who made a difficult, brave decision to send her 16 years old daughter with only hope that I will grow to be a strong, bright women who not only knows how to take care of myself but also others in need, and be an independent, beautiful person with a good heart.

It’s first time sharing this letter, so I really hope you enjoy it. Take a moment to think of your mom and their unconditional love. I would love to hear your stories as well so please leave feedback/comments below. ❤ Thanks for reading!

Dear daughter,
My dear daughter,
Become a good, beautiful, strong and brave woman.
Even if everyone else is walking down the different path than yours,
Do not be discouraged. Walk on your way proudly.
Choose your own path based on what you think is right.
And learn to love and accept those who are going down the different path.
Above all, learn how to love.
A place without love is hell, so learn how to love and use it every day.
More and more you use toothpaste, what you will end up is an empty tube that you will throw away.
Love is different. More you use it, it will grow bigger and become greater.

Dear daughter! My dear daughter,
Do not think of and treat people as business.
Do not calculate what you give and what you receive.
Love is not the same as doing a mathematics homework.
Life is a series of meeting and departures, nothing more or less.
Many people end up filling up their lives with painful encounters and breakups.
Of course I pray that your life will be filled with happy encounters and good luck.
However, many people will come into your life and also leave your life one day.
Some may end up leaving you in bad terms,
Some may just disappear as time goes by – as the string that connects you and those are not strong enough and become thin naturally over time.
Some of those may build a strong relationship with you for a long time, but they may eventually leave your life due to death.
So, my dear daughter –
Remember no relationship is eternal in this life… and why its precious.

I have the responsibility and the right to love and respect you.
Please be careful not to lose yourself in your journey.
Dear daughter,
My dear daughter,
When you face the world, you will encounter both luck and misfortune.
I wish you all the best of luck, however,
Sometimes you may face misfortune.
Everyone feels cold rain on their shoulder sometimes.
Everyone faces challenges and difficulties in their journey.
You can prepare an umbrella for those cold rainy days that you may face, however,
Not always you can block all those pouring rain and prevent yourself from getting wet.
I believe that God is fair and he will not give you a heavy burden that you will not be able to bear.

Dear daughter, My dear daughter,
If you see sadness in your neighbour’s face,
Offer them a hot cup of tea.
You will be able to feel great joy in the cup of tea you offered.

Dear daughter,
When you encounter the cold wind of trials, be courageous and brave.
Fight courageously and overcome.
When you have overcome those obstacles and pass through the cold wind, you will become a more strong and beautiful woman than you were before.

Like this:

I live and breath in diversity.
I respect my surroundings.
I practice minimalistic living.
I provide a place to rest, play and live to those in need.
I clean the air for living.
I cope with challenges that life brings with best of my ability.
I know when to let go things to prepare myself for what’s to come.
I change to grow and mature.
I nurture what’s holding me to stand tall when reaching for the sky.
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Who am I…?
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.
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My name is Tree.
And I am proud to be part of life on earth.

Like this:

Explorer your neighbourhood and find hidden gems like parks, community gardens and lovely playground that I found in my area! You don’t need to go too far to find that perfect spot for your next picnic. 🤗 #exploreryourneighbourhood #staycation #northyork #toronto